


To Hold

by Tiara_of_Sapphires



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ambiguous Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24579019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/pseuds/Tiara_of_Sapphires
Summary: Marianne knew that Mercedes would tend to every person in the army before looking after herself.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	To Hold

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, you just need a little sweetness.  
> Enjoy!

Marianne could immediately see that something was different about Mercedes as she stalked through camp. The tight line of the blonde’s shoulders, how that gentle smile was absent, turning to a frown, felt so wrong. The fact that Marianne noticed those changes in her posture on instinct should have perturbed her, but that was something to be analyzed later. Later, never, whichever came first.

She could only guess what was wrong. Mercedes was the quintessential battle medic, able to get to injured people with efficiency and out of the way of the enemy in the same breath. She could save lives and take them with her magic. During the battle mere hours ago, an enemy mage got a hit on her. It wasn’t enough to bring Mercedes to the ground, only enough for her to retreat a little further back into the friendly lines.

Marianne had seen it all from her horse as she tended to the wounded as well. She couldn’t be distracted by it at the time, since being a medic on a horse made her a huge target. She hated wielding her lance, but she made good use of it when magic wasn’t felling the enemy as fast as was needed.

She didn't think about it because she had been sure that Mercedes had tended to it.

Now that the battle was over, she could see that the other woman still walked around with a burn marring her arm. Mercedes was skittish, like one of Marianne’s horses, wincing away when people got too close. She had her injured arm close to her chest. Marianne could see pained tears dripping from her face as she tried to ignore the obvious pain that she was in.

Animals didn't like to show weakness. They often found lonely spots to lick their wounds, to heal or to succumb. Marianne knew animals and birds, not so much people. That led her to being a loner during her time at the Officer’s Academy. Now that the war had broken out and she returned to the monastery, she had quickly realized that humans were just like animals. It made things a lot easier when talking to her former classmates and fellow comrades.

Marianne felt...stressed just watching it unfold. She could see the pain on Mercedes' face and nothing was being done about it. She shrugged away Annette and the Professor and the healers that approached her. They treated her like she was porcelain and it was clear that Mercedes that steeled herself to handle the pain, refusing to take energy away from what could be directed to one of the more critically injured warriors in the medical tents.

Self-sacrificing. Too kind to be fighting in a war, but someone that had become indispensable. Marianne wanted to heal her and put herself between Mercedes and the enemy. She had been cleansed from her Crest’s curse, indebted to the students who fought by her side. Mercedes had been kind to her, bringing her pastries and tea and quiet songs.

Marianne had done nothing in return. She could give back, now.

Humans, unlike most animals, had a sense of pride. Mercedes counted herself as guardian of the rest of her cohorts. To point out her wound and perceived failing in front of others would only drive her away from help. Marianne couldn’t have that.

She watched Mercedes, feeling a bit like one of the ghouls that the other former students liked to tell stories about.

Finally, she found her opening when Mercedes wandered away from the campfire and closer to the shadows that encircled the camp. Many times, they had meals together in the dining hall under dying candlelight, talking about everything and nothing.

Times had changed, but they also stayed the same.

“Mercedes?” Her voice shook, but her courage did not fail her.

Mercedes whipped around at the sound, making Marianne flinch. She didn’t mean to startle her. Fear would only make it harder for Marianne to get closer to her.

Immediately, the blonde relaxed a touch. “Oh, Marianne. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you coming.”

“Ah, my apologies,” Marianne murmured with a sheepish curtsey. “I just was worried about you.”

That lacked all subtlety. She really should have thought about what she was going to say before approaching.

“Worried about me?” Mercedes echoed.

“I saw you were injured during the battle and I see that it hasn’t been tended to yet.”

Mercedes tensed, glancing instinctively at the arm she had tucked to her chest.

“I’m fine,” she replied. Her voice was bright and happy, but there was an edge to it that signaled to Marianne that, no, she wasn’t fine at all.

To heal others was easy, summoning healing magic and projecting it outward. To turn that power inward was difficult. If Mercedes was able to heal herself, she would have done so already. It was clear that she was drained from healing other people, leaving nothing left for her own body.

“You should have that tended to, before it gets infected,” she insisted.

A horrible image of rotting, putrid flesh flashed through Marianne’s mind. It was something that should never be associated with someone like Mercedes, someone who should never experience the scars of war.

“It is just a flesh wound, Marianne. Really, no need to worry yourself over it.”

“Let me see it.”

Marianne had startled herself with her own forcefulness. Gentleness was all well and good up to a point. When a creature was obstinate against their own wellbeing, that was the time to be commanding.

Mercedes blinked at her before the hold on her arm loosened just enough for Marianne to pull it close to her.

It had been as Marianne suspected. A fire spell had seared the top of her arm, leaving the skin raw and blistered. It wasn’t too deep, which would have required immediate healing during the battle.

“Are you going to lecture me about being more careful?” Mercedes asked softly.

Marianne smiled to herself as she looked over the wound, already envisioning the spell that would quickly fix the damaged flesh.

“I imagine the Professor has already done that for me.”

“Indeed, he did.”

For a moment, they paused, standing too close and too far away from each other.

“Perhaps we should sit?” Marianne suggested.

Mercedes offered no resistance as Marianne guided her over to one of the large pine trees that had been toppled by a storm. They sat on its trunk, facing one another.

Being a little removed from camp should have sparked fear in their hearts. They were stronger as a cohesive unit, the enemy unwilling to attack unless there were outliers from the ground. Marianne dismissed her fear as irrational, for now. The enemy had been vanquished and patrols kept the camp safe from ambush. She allowed herself to be free from fear for just a moment.

“It’s a lovely night,” Mercedes murmured, “Despite everything.”

“Despite everything,” Marianne agreed.

Marianne sucked in a breath before reciting the spell. Warmth danced around her fingers and bloomed in her chest as she summoned magic. She could feel Mercedes’s energy rising to meet her as the spell knit over the wounded skin, mending flesh and skin and banishing away the blisters that had already formed.

Mercedes winced as her arm stitched itself back together. Red rawness turned to pink and slowly turned to smooth pale skin.

“Are you in pain?” Marianne asked. She was a good healer, one of the best, but she never had as much confidence in her abilities as some of her peers did. She had fixed limbs that were nearly shorn off from the rest of the body and deep stab wounds that would have been certainly fatal without intervention. And yet, with such a simple thing, Marianne wanted to make sure that it was perfect.

Mercedes looked at her and back down at her arm.

“It does sting a little. I’m sure that will go away soon.”

Without thinking, Marianne ducked down and kissed over the newly-repaired skin. It was a gamble, but somehow gambling seemed easier with the threat of death hanging over their heads every single day.

They could live, they could die. She wanted to be brave and selfish for just a moment.

“Feel better now?” she whispered.

Her face felt aflame as she looked up at Mercedes. The blonde didn’t look much better, eyes bright and cheeks red.

“Oh! Ah, yes. Feels a lot better.”

Under any other circumstances, Marianne would have fled already. Something kept her in place, one hand wrapped around Mercedes’s wrist and the other in the tight fist on her lap.

“Can I help you with anything else?” Marianne asked softly.

Mercedes didn't run either, despite this sudden shift. She still sat, too close to be excused as simply friendly. Her eyes wandered over Marianne’s face. Perhaps she looked for a trick or a joke or for sincerity. Maybe she was looking just to look.

“I—I think I may have hurt…” Mercedes murmured, pointing towards her temple.

Marianne looked at where she pointed, seeing only unblemished skin, before realizing what she had meant.

“Oh! Let me.”

Marianne leaned forward and kissed her temple. Behind the smell of ashes and sweat, she could smell the sweet soap that Mercedes used.

“Thank you for noticing me,” Mercedes said as Marianne pulled away.

“How could anyone not notice you? You’re beautiful.”

Marianne blushed at her own admission, as ineloquent as it was. There were many ways to describe Mercedes von Martritz, beautiful was on top of the list.

She cleared her throat.

“Do you think, once the war is over, we could—,” Marianne broke off, shaking her head. They couldn’t be sure what was left of Fódlan once the war was over. There may be no opportunity to stroll down the streets of a liberated Fhirdiad or one of the Alliance territories.

“Yes. I would like that.” Mercedes slipped her hand into Marianne’s and held it with determination. “In the meantime, stay close to me.”

Marianne swallowed. “I will protect you.”

“And I, you.”

Now, Marianne felt like the skittish one, unable to look away but also unable to keep her eyes on Mercedes's face. She glanced down at her lap, only for a hand to lightly brush her chin, pushing it up so she was looking at Mercedes again.

Marianne smiled and it felt right on her face. She was lucky, to touch someone as lovely as this.

“My favorite thing is seeing you smile. It feels like a gift.”

Mercedes raised her hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, and it felt like a vow had passed between them.

Marianne had struggled to see a future ahead of her. She had resigned herself to sorrow and darkness, ending in a lonely death.

Things had seemed brighter now, despite the war, now that she found herself surrounded by friends.

This felt solid, this fruition of the longing that had dogged her for months. Even if they were forced to flee from inevitable defeat, they would be together. They would stand together.

“Shall we join the others?” Marianne asked quietly.

Mercedes shook her head as dusk fell and their bodies drifted closer and closer together.

“No. I think we should stay here a bit longer.”

Marianne once feared the dark, but as a soft hand skimmed across the back of her neck, pulling her close, close, she welcomed it.

**Author's Note:**

> -jazz hands-  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! I work in a clinic so days are long and difficult, even more so nowadays. Every kind word brings me more motivation to work on stories like this!  
> [Here’s my Tumblr! Feel free to follow and drop drabble/fic requests!](https://tiaraofsapphires.tumblr.com/)  
> [I am also attempting to make my general twitter my writer twitter. Give me a follow there as well!](https://twitter.com/BlooRalts)  
> Cheers!


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